Flowery Crush
by Symphonic Fantasia
Summary: Kurt has always liked Lyla since he was young. The way her garden bloomed and the way she helped others around her. There were so many things he liked about her. He just wish he knew of a way to talk to her about it.


**Author's Notes: I totally believe that Kurt had a crush on Lyl****a for a while before he starting liking Dia. Headcanon accepted anyone?  
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**Disclaimer: Yadda yadda. Don't own. You know the drill.  
**

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Kurt touched the petals of the flowers softly. He didn't want to hurt them, especially not these. Lyla grew them out of love and care. It wouldn't be right for him to destroy them. She would yell at him even if he attempted it. He wasn't that type of person though. Lyla worked hard to care for their plants and he wasn't going to ruin it. Her garden was the most beautiful one in the valley and he admired it. Kurt hoped that he would be able to have a garden as good as hers one day.

"Good morning, Kurt."

Kurt jumped and turned around to face Lyla. She smiled at him and he could feel his face turn red. She looked beautiful today, as usual. When he thought about it, he couldn't remember a time that Lyla didn't look beautiful. Even when he was a kid, she was beautiful. "Good morning, Lyla..."

"It's such a beautiful morning, isn't it?" she asked, grabbing the watering can from under her porch step. She walked up to him and the garden and started to water her flowers.

"It is..."

Lyla inhaled the fresh morning air deeply and sighed softly. She seemed at peace and was happy. Then again, Lyla was always happy. There was never a frown on her face; never a tear in her eye. She walked around the valley as their own personal sunbeam that lived on earth. It was no wonder many compared her to the Harvest Goddess. It wouldn't surprise Kurt if she was the Harvest Goddess in disguise. "The air smells so much fresher than usual. Well, I must be off," she finally said, finishing her task of watering her plants. "I'll see you around~."

Kurt waved goodbye to Lyla as she sashayed away. He liked the way she moved. Not for the extravagant way her hips moved (a feature he didn't want to admit he noticed), but for how she carried herself. Proud and happy without a care in the world besides how the whether will turn out today. He sighed softly, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Yeah. Lyla sure was a special kind of woman.

"Hey! You're home early." Kurt made no sound of acknowledgment as he walked into the living room and lay across the couch. The shop was quiet with only Gwen at the kitchen table, working on papers for the store. He hoped that while he was here resting, she wouldn't bother him, but he knew better. "Kurt? Is everything alright?"

He shrugged before realizing that she couldn't see him. "Yeah." He heard the tapping of Gwens pen on the table and wanted to yell at her to stop. He digressed though. There was no point in yelling at her if she was going to yell back at him. "Can you please stop that sound...?"

"Sorry."

"It's ok."

They sat in the quiet for a while. Gwen occasionally scratched away with her pen on the papers. Probably a signature here and there, numbers and math equations for their budget. It was a lot of work to do on her own but she somehow was able to get it done. Finally, she decided to speak, "So how's Lyla?"

He froze when she mentioned her name. Kurt knew that everyone was well aware of him spending his Thursday mornings near her garden, but why would they mention her? It was rare when the actually talked to one another while Lyla watered her flowers and it would only be a few words to one another, like today. "She seemed fine."

"Hm. That's good."

The silence felt awkward to Kurt. He didn't want to talk about Lyla, but he had a feeling that Gwen was going to mention her more. He hoped she wouldn't. If she cared about him at all, she wouldn't. It's how she was. He waited and waited for her to say something but it never came. Finally, he heard her stand up and walk to the door.

"I'm going for a walk. I'll be home by dinner," she mentioned, stalling in the doorway.

"Alright." When she left the room, he sighed in relief. It felt good to be alone. He may not want to be alone with his thoughts, but he surely didn't want to be with anyone. Lyla was consuming his thoughts too much. It was starting to make him sick. Not in a "he couldn't stand her" sort of sick, but love sickness. He didn't know what to do about it or who to talk to. Anyone in the valley would either suggest that he talk to Lyla. She was the problem so he couldn't talk to her. He had no one to turn to.

Rubbing his hand over his face, Kurt curled up into himself, trying to nap before everyone came home. At least, he hoped he could.

His sleep was restless. It was spent tossing and turning on the couch, jumping at every sound he thought he heard. Woody, Gwen and Joe were still out. There was no one but him in the shop. Still, he heard the sounds and he knew it was his imagination, but it didn't stop him from being irritated by them. He just wanted to sleep. Kurt felt like he hadn't slept in such a long time. It had to be a month since he properly slept. He hadn't told Woody or anyone yet. He had hoped that it would fix itself on it's own, but it hadn't.

Giving up, he brought his legs over the couch and sat up. He pulled his bandana off and ran his fingers through his hair before allowing it to frame his face. He always thought about getting a haircut, but he didn't have the time for it. Plus, he liked his hair he way it was. Sighing again, he looked around the empty house. It was getting lonelier by the minute. He liked being alone but in this emotional state, he didn't want to right now. All he could do was go for a walk.

He didn't hear the knock on the door, so when he opened it, he scared both himself and Lyla who jumped back. "Lyla..."

"Oh! Kurt!" Lyla placed a hand on her chest and laughed. "You scared me! You opened that door so quickly, you would think that there was a fire in the house!"

"Ah... Sorry about that..."

"It's perfectly fine, dear."

The stood in silence but this time, it felt awkward to Kurt. He didn't know why Lyla was here or what she wanted. If she wanted to make an order, she could have found Gwen or Woody. It was rare when either one of them were home, anyway. "Um... Is there anything you need?"

Lyla giggled. "Gwen wanted me to tell you that she'll be having dinner with Bob while Joe and Woody are having dinner with Katie and Wallace."

"Oh..." That was a change. They usually had dinner together and Gwen practically twisted their arms to make sure it happened. Why she changed her mind now, he'll never understand.

"And she wanted me to invite you over for dinner."

He stared at her, eyes wide. "Huh?"

"She wanted me to invite you over for dinner with me," Lyla said again, her smile never faltering.

"I...well..."

She reached out and touched his arm, halting him in his sentence. "Come, Kurt. You must be hungry." Kurt didn't say anything as Lyly intertwined their arms together and led him away from the carpentry shop. He fully believed that this night was going to be awkward.

"It's so great to have you over for dinner!"

"Mm..."

"I feel like we've never spent any time together since you were a child. It feels nice."

"Ah... Sorry..."

Lyla shook her head, preparing the tray for lasagna. "Don't be. You've been busy with your work." She smiled when Kurt shrugged. "Woody says that you're doing really well. I'm so proud of you."

He blushed and fiddled with his fingers. "Th...thank you..."

She put the tray into the oven and set the timer up. Wiping her hands on a towel, she walked over to him. "Is there anything you would like to drink? Water or some juice?"

"I'll take some juice..." Kurt muttered, looking down at her lap.

She giggled. "Apple juice it is!"

He smiled, looking up to watch her. "You still stock that...?"

Lyla laughed, nodding at him. She opened the fridge and pulled out the pitcher of apple juice. "Always do! You never know when Tim might want a drink. I do want him to drink something healthy."

"That's nice of you..."

"I really haven't changed much, Kurt."

"I know and that's good. Really good," Kurt assured, looking down at his lap.

She smiled and walked over with his glass of juice. "Well, I'm glad you think so."

He reached up to take the glass. When his fingers brushed hers, he had to refrain from jerking his hand back and spilling the juice. He took a sip from the glass when she let it go and set it back on the table. "Thank you."

Lyla sighed softly, staring at Kurt. The poor boy looked troubled to her. If only she could read minds. If she could, she would help Kurt through whatever it was he was feeling. Since she wasn't, she would have to do the next best thing; and that was to talk to him. Lyla pulled out the chair next to his and sat down. She folded her hands in her lap and looked at Kurt with gentle eyes. "Kurt, is something troubling you?"

Kurt looked up at Lyla briefly before looking back down at his lap. What could he say to her? 'Lyla, I believe I like you more than a friend'? As simple as it sounded, it was hard for him to say. He was never good with words, especially not to Lyla. Lyla was the only one in the valley who left him tongue tied even when he was a kid. Gwen and Joe use to tease him about it, but he didn't let them get to him. It didn't stop them from being right though. "There's...someone that I like..."

She smiled at him, her head tilting to the side. "Oh?"

He nodded. "I just...don't know how to tell her. I'm afraid that it won't work out." Kurt shook his head. "Or maybe I just don't think we should be together myself. I wouldn't even know what to say to her to start it. It's...confusing."

Lyla reached out and patted his arm. "Crushing on someone is difficult, Kurt. We've all been through what you've been through. Even Louis and Gwen have, even if they refuse to say it."

Those words didn't help Kurt at all. If anything, it made him feel worse. "I just wish I knew what to do about it."

"Hm... Maybe it's best if you just waited then." Kurt looked up at her and she smiled. "The best thing about crushes is that they usually don't last for long. Sometimes they last but most of the time, they just fade away." She placed a hand to her cheek. "I don't know when yours will...but it might happen one day. One day, you might find out that you like another person instead of this person that you have a crush on." Lyla giggled. "Sometimes, that person is usually right in front of you!"

Kurt stared at her, trying to register what she was saying. Part of him was telling him that the person in front of him who was meant to be with him was indeed Lyla. The other part, though, the more logical one, was telling him that it wasn't so. He struggled between the two, trying to make sense of which one was more true. Finally, a side one. He felt a burden lifted from his shoulders and his logical thoughts won him over in the end. He gave Lyla a small smile, looking down at his lap. "Thank you, Lyla. I feel better now."

She smiled at him and patted his arm. "Good." The timer went off and she quickly stood up, rushing over to the oven to take out the lasagna. "I hope you'll like dinner. It's my grandmothers recipe and it is absolutely wonderful~!"

"I'm sure I'll like it."

Lyla brought the dish over and they enjoyed an evening together. They talked about various topics such as their gardening and how their work was going. Kurt hadn't felt this level of comfortableness with Lyla in a long time. It felt nice to have it back. Dinner was over and he was ready to head back home to the other, sure that they were already home.

"Please be safe on the way home," Lyla mentioned, walking him to the door.

"I'll be fine. It's not far from here," Kurt assured, smiling at her.

She smiled back at him and nodded. "Good night then."

They waved at one another and he walked off into the night. It didn't take him long to get home and the lights for both the apprentice shack and the store were on. They were home. He walked to the small shack, not wanting to talk to Gwen about his dinner with Lyla. He was glad that Joe wasn't there which meant that he could go to sleep. Unrolling his blankets and futon, he kicked off his shoes and laid on it, not bothering to change or get under the covers.

Morning came quicker than he expected but Kurt was ready to get up. He was up even before Joe and Gwen (who would wake them up violently every work day). He threw himself immediately into his work, starting early and impressing Woody. By noon though, he was tired and he wished he had a bit more of sleep. It would certainly help with the workload they were experiencing today.

"Kurt! You have a visitor!"

He looked up at Woody who pointed over his shoulder at Dia. This was a surprising visit. Dia rarely ever left her estate where she lived with Martha and Gina. To see her here was odd and he feared the worse. Perhaps she was leaving to return to her mother or father. He wouldn't know until he talked to her. Kurt set his axe down and walked up to her, finding that she was nervous upon looking at her. "Is everything ok?"

Dia flustered for a moment before calming down. "Y-yes, everything is fine. I was just wondering if you would...like to come over for lunch one day... If you're not busy, that is."

Kurt sighed in relief. That was all she wanted. "Sure, I would like-"

She tilted her head to the side when Kurt suddenly stopped. "Is something wrong?"

He barely realized that he had stopped talking. What he talked with Lyla about nice hit him already. She had said that it may be someone right in front of him. Dia was someone he enjoyed spending time with because she was quiet and she seemed to understand him. He didn't know why he couldn't see it before. Kurt smiled at her, running a hand through his hair. "No, nothing is wrong."

Dia "hm"ed quietly. "Well... Would you like to?"

No one would ever know what Kurt's future would hold. For all he knew, Dia just might be the one for him. "Sure. I would like that... Thank you, Dia."


End file.
